Developing a Master Audiovisual Storage Plan for Historical Materials at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

A planning project to develop practical
solutions for the preservation of audiovisual holdings of the Alaska and Polar
Regions Collections and Archives (APRCA). The collection includes 11,300 oral
history recordings and 15,000 film and video items documenting the history of
the state of Alaska and the circumpolar North.

The project is to develop a 20 year Master Audiovisual Storage Plan aimed at alleviating overcrowded storage conditions for historical film, videotape, audiotape, digital recorded media and photographic materials. Consultants will make recommendations for shelving styles and layouts that will increase current storage capacity, work with curators/archivists to predict future space needs, identify two or three viable locations in the library where new climate-controlled vaults for audiovisual materials could most effectively and efficiently be constructed, and provide cost estimates. The team will aim for pragmatic long-term solutions that balance costs and environmental impacts with the need to provide high quality collections care.